Wire and staff reports
Gov. Jay Nixon announced Wednesday that an additional $200 million will be cut from Missouri's budget and almost 700 state employee jobs, both full-time and part-time, will be eliminated.
Nixon cut $430 million earlier this year from the $23.7 billion budgeted by lawmakers for state operations and capital improvements during this fiscal year, which started July 2009.
This round of budget reductions, according to the Associated Press, includes eliminating state aid for Missouri's online school program, reducing funds for arts and humanities programs and the state will stop taking new non-Medicaid clients for certain mental health services.
Earlier this month, Nixon announced he would be laying off nearly 100 employees from the Division of State Parks, causing the Missouri Parks Association to petition the governor to reconsider the decision.
In a press release, the non-profit organization urged the state government to apply "less stringent measures such as temporary park closures and furloughs, and allowing employees to participate in job sharing and other cooperative efforts to reduce park system spending."
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